bv a Go\crnmcnt hurcaii, uvax con 

 tinue long after it has served its origi- 

 nal purpose. Research jirojects need 

 continuous reappraisal in the light of 

 scientific ad\ance and technological 

 developments. Orderh re\'ision of re 

 search programs should be the normal 

 and expected result of scientific [irog- 

 ress. The danger that a research bu- 

 reau ma\ fail to revise its programs 

 or its methods when thev become 

 obsolete is minimized most surelv bv 

 encouraging members of the scien- 

 tific staff to maintain close contact 

 with their professional colleagues 

 elsewhere. Government emplovees 

 engaged in research should be en- 

 couraged to participate in the activi- 

 ties and publications of national 

 scientific societies. This means, 

 among other things, more liberal 

 funds for tra\'el to scientific meetings, 

 f^urthcrmore, it should be legallv pos- 

 sible for anv Government bureau to 

 keep in close touch with modern 

 ideas within its field of science bv 

 assigning emplovees on full pav for 

 graduate work at universities or for 

 research projects to be conducted at 

 endowed or industrial institutions or 

 at official research organizations in 

 this or other countries. Scientists 

 from uni\'ersities, research institu- 

 tions, State agencies and industrial 

 organizations should be invited to 

 accept appointments for short-term 

 projects in Government bureaus. 

 Facilities should likewise be ex- 

 tended to visiting scientists from for- 

 eign countries. 



c. Clarification of Patent Policy for 

 Government Employees 



The present policv of granting 

 patents to the emplovees of some 

 Government bureaus for inventions 

 in the field of the bureau's official 

 duties does not instill public confi- 



dence in Government employees nor 

 encourage industr\' to share new in- 

 lormation v\ith Go\'ernmcnt agencies. 

 Attention should be given to the 

 recommendations of the National 

 Patent Planning C'ommission that all 

 inventions made within the specifi- 

 cally designated chities of Govern- 

 ment employees be assigned to the 

 Government and that doubtful cases 

 be decided by a central board on 

 Government patents.^ 



4. Advisory Committees to the 

 Separate Bureaus and a Perma- 

 nent Science Advisory Board 



Many of the changes here recom- 

 mended to assure proper coordination 

 of governmental research and raise 

 the le\'el of its performance depend 

 in considerable measure upon the ex- 

 istence of ad\'isory committees to the 

 several scientific bureaus. The excel- 

 lent service rendered bv the several 

 advisory committees already in exis- 

 tence has demonstrated the \'alue of 

 these bodies. Their use, however, is 

 not universal, and at present only 

 the more progressive bureaus actively 

 seek outside advice. It is therefore 

 urged that advisorv committees, com- 

 posed of scientists from outside the 

 Government service, be established 

 for each of the bureaus or agencies 

 in which extensive research is being 

 conducted. 



There has been ample experience, 

 also, to demonstrate the need for a 

 permanent Science Advisorv Board, 

 similar to the body which served so 

 successfully on a temporary basis 

 from 1933 to 1935. Such a central 

 board could correlate the activities of 

 the specialized advisory committees, 

 and would probablv be the proper 



^ See Second Report of the National Patent 

 Planning Commission (Washington, 1944), pp. 

 10-12. 



105 



